Warsaw-based Zimmer Holdings, Ashcroft deal challenged

February 19, 2008

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie has been asked to testify before members of Congress about a multimillion-dollar contract his office awarded to former Attorney General John Ashcroft. Under the contract, Ashcroft's firm will monitor Warsaw-based orthopedics manufacturer Zimmer Holdings as part of an agreement the corporation entered into to settle a fraud investigation by Christie's office. Ashcroft was also asked to testify but has not responded, according to Sanchez's office. The Justice Department is considering uniform guidelines to specify these type of monitor appointments and who is awarded them. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., has also introduced a bill that would increase oversight and establish specific rules for such appointments. The hearing before a House Judiciary Committee subcommittee is scheduled for Feb. 26, The Star-Ledger of Newark reported in Monday newspapers. Christie, the top federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey, has not said whether he will appear. At a news conference last week, he said he would appear before Congress if higher-ups in the Justice Department asked him to do so. The subject of the probe is a contract to serve as a federal monitor that Ashcroft's Washington law firm received from Christie's office. The deal is worth between $27 million and $52 million over 18 months. "We're interested in knowing about the process by which he was selected to be the monitor and what exactly he's doing to earn the fee," U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., told The Star-Ledger.